


terror at the film set

by jaemarked



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Horror, Light Angst, M/M, Mark Lee makes a brief appearance, Pranks and Practical Jokes, but not really, jaemin being a clown, they fight for like a hot minute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:14:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22029145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaemarked/pseuds/jaemarked
Summary: “They say,” Jaemin began lowly, “that this building was a prison for the worst of the worst. Like serial killers and shit. And there was a crazy nurse who was purposely killing inmates by injecting an untraceable drug into their systems. The drug simulated heart attacks, and she would go after older prisoners, but after the tenth one died, they started to investigate. They couldn’t figure out why so many prisoners were dying, so they shut down the prison and most of the criminals got relocated. However, they say the ghosts of the dead prisoners still roam this building, looking to get revenge on the one who killed them.”
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Na Jaemin
Comments: 3
Kudos: 81





	terror at the film set

**Author's Note:**

  * For [yourcryingface](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourcryingface/gifts).



> ok so this was for a "reply with a pairing and title and i'll write u a fic" thing on twitter and... i wrote 4k words??? idk how that happened
> 
> so!! this is horror but not really, though it can be kinda creepy i think and there is some very minor violence. i don't know if this is triggering but please be cautious!!

**“terror at the film set” jaemin + donghyuck**

“When was the last time we were casted for the same movie?” 

Donghyuck and Jaemin were sprawled on the grass outside of the abandoned building they were using as a set. Jaemin had been here since five in the morning and Donghyuck even earlier, so Directors Lee and Jung had sent them outside for a break. 

“Gosh, I don’t know. A few years at least,” Donghyuck replied, sifting through the grass with his fingers. It was unkempt and overgrown, but it was soft the way grass was supposed to feel. 

Jaemin and Donghyuck both had the same start. They were child actors on the same show, a spin-off of Wizards of Waverly Place, and had moved on to movies in their early teens. They filmed an action movie together once when they were fourteen, and both were side characters in a comedy movie at sixteen. Now they were twenty, and filming for a horror movie at an old building rumoured to be a former prison. 

“I guess we’re lucky we got the call, then.” Jaemin gave Donghyuck his signature grin, and Donghyuck couldn’t help but smile back. They were best friends, but they rarely had time for each other. When Donghyuck had been informed by his manager that the famous director couple Taeyong Lee and Jaehyun Jung wanted him in their movie, he was ecstatic. When he found out Jaemin was going to be his co-star, he was over the moon, and had immediately said yes. “Have you heard about the history of this building?”

Donghyuck shook his head. He had heard whispers, little glimpses of the past based on rumours, but didn’t know the full story. Jaemin leaned in closer, looking around to make sure no one was nearby.

“They say,” Jaemin began lowly, “that this building was a prison for the worst of the worst. Like serial killers and shit. And there was a crazy nurse who was purposely killing inmates by injecting an untraceable drug into their systems. The drug simulated heart attacks, and she would go after older prisoners, but after the tenth one died, they started to investigate. They couldn’t figure out why so many prisoners were dying, so they shut down the prison and most of the criminals got relocated. However, they say the ghosts of the dead prisoners still roam this building, looking to get revenge on the one who killed them.”

“That’s bullshit,” Donghyuck said, rolling his eyes. The thing about growing up in the industry was that most of their childhood was lost to stardom. This didn’t bother Donghyuck, but Jaemin still hadn’t grown up, it seemed. Sometimes, Donghyuck loved him for it. Other times he couldn’t help but wonder how they turned out so different. “There’s no way that’s true. They didn’t wonder why so many prisoners died from heart attacks until ten of them died? And what about the nurse, they never caught her? I find it hard to believe that they just shut down an entire prison.”

“Hey, you never know,” Jaemin said with a shrug, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Anyway, this building’s a total local legend. People who snuck in and stayed overnight reported witnessing no less than seven ghosts. Apparently during the day, everything is fine, but at night, that’s when things get  _ really  _ creepy.”

“Whatever you say,” Donghyuck replied sarcastically, standing up and brushing off his clothes. He held out a hand to Jaemin who grabbed it, then helped him to his feet but didn’t let go. Instead, he leaned in even closer, hot breath fanning over Donghyuck’s war.

“What do you say we come back here tonight?” Jaemin breathed suggestively. Donghyuck tried to prevent the shudders from wracking through his body, but he wasn’t entirely successful. 

“Won’t we be filming?” Donghyuck hadn’t seen the schedule for today, he had been late getting out of bed and his manager, Johnny, had forgotten to show him in their rush. But usually he was on set all day and late into the night. 

“Nope. Director Lee is big on superstition so he refuses to step foot into the building, and Director Jung does whatever Director Lee wants.”

“Sounds familiar,” Donghyuck commented drily. He knew he was going to give in to Jaemin’s stupid request, and Jaemin knew it too.

“Come  _ on,  _ Hyuck. We never get to spend time together! And if it’s  _ bullshit  _ then surely you won’t be afraid?” Jaemin wiggles his eyebrows, pulling back to let Donghyuck get the full view of his taunting smirk.

“Whatever, Na, but you’re buying me dinner,” Donghyuck scoffed, and pretended his insides didn’t warm when Jaemin cheered and gave him a happy kiss on the cheek before heading inside.

  
  


-

  
  
  


“Where did you get that?” Donghyuck hissed when Jaemin pulled out a set of keys, thumbing through the colour coded metal until he found the one that matched the lock of the side doors. 

“Nicked it from Doyoung’s trailer.” Doyoung was the producer of the movie, and Donghyuck wondered how Jaemin even got into his trailer in the first place. “Mark let me in, I told him Doyoung sent me to grab him a drink.”

“You took advantage of the director’s assistant?” Donghyuck hissed as Jaemin unlocked the doors. “Poor Mark.”

“Hey, I just flirted with him a little. Besides, it’s not like I was  _ lying.  _ He  _ is  _ really cute,” Jaemin said, pulling open the door with a flourish. Donghyuck ignored the stab of jealousy he felt in his guts and followed Jaemin inside, closing the door behind him gently, but leaving it open just a touch so they had an escape route.

Just in case.

“Relax, Hyuck, we’ll be in and out in no time, then we’ll return the keys to Doyoung’s trailer and dip. He won’t even notice them missing.”

“And how do you plan on getting into Doyoung’s trailer?” Donghyuck asked, switching on the flashlight he brought with him. The hall they were in was just plain and dusty, with a few doors on either side. Jaemin paid no mind to those, picking his way around rubble and debris with ease.

“I watched Mark put in the code,” he answered confidently. He bent down to examine something that Donghyuck couldn’t see, but before he could crouch down and look too, a door slammed in the distance, the sound cutting through the night like a knife. Instantly, he froze, his blood running cold.

“Did you hear that?” He whispered. Jaemin straightened, giving him a confused look. 

“Hear what?” Silence.

Donghyuck shook his head. “Nothing, never mind.” 

They continued forward, Jaemin throwing open doors to peer inside rooms that were mostly empty, or exclaiming over parts of the building they’d never seen before. Donghyuck had to admit, the building looked a lot creepier when there was no filming equipment present, and darkness enveloped them like a cloak his flashlight could barely penetrate.

It didn’t help that Jaemin was being so noisy. For someone who was so insistent about the ghosts being real, he sure wasn’t afraid of alerting the supernatural of their presence. It was ridiculous. Everything about this situation was ridiculous. But it didn’t stop Donghyuck from feeling increasingly nervous, like something was about to happen. 

Donghyuck heard some scuffling behind him, but he ignored it. A building this old and filthy was bound to have some sort of rodents scampering about. It was the feeling of icy fingers probing at his neck that had him whirling around, shining the flashlight frantically in the direction he thought the touch had come from.

Nothing. The hall was empty and silent. Wait.  _ Silent? _

__ He spun around again, and realized that Jaemin wasn’t with him. A second ago, he’d been rambling on and on about the snacks they’d had on set today, but now, Donghyuck could hear nothing. Not even the sound of footsteps.

“Jaemin?” Donghyuck called, but there was no response. He tried again, a little louder this time. “Jaemin?!”

Nothing.

Donghyuck took a deep breath, pulling out his phone, figuring he could just call his best friend instead of wasting his breath. He glanced at the top of the screen and cursed quietly. There was no service. Of  _ course  _ there was no service.

“Jaemin, this isn’t funny!” Donghyuck said angrily, raising his voice even louder. Yet still, there was nothing. Donghyuck took another deep breath, ignoring the tremble in his fingers, and his shaking legs. He ignored the way his ribcage constricted his lungs and the way his breath came a little too fast. 

_ I’ll just go wait for him at the doors we came in. Or I’ll find a spot with service and call someone, anyone. Doyoung maybe. At least he’ll kill me after he finds Jaemin.  _

_ “This building was a prison for the worst of the worst. Like, serial killers and shit.”  _ Donghyuck whimpered and turned around, tearing down the hall towards doors they had come through. He slammed into the door with a loud bang and ricocheted off, nearly falling on his ass. The door was closed and locked.  _ All  _ the doors were closed and locked, and  _ Jaemin was the only one with the keys. _

__ “I have to find Jaemin,” Donghyuck murmured. “Or an exit. Or cell phone service. Or  _ something. _ ”

But the truth was, he didn’t know if he could last another minute in this building. He was fucking  _ terrified _ . 

Donghyuck was contemplating searching for a window without bars when he heard another scuffling sound. But this time it was followed by a moan, then the sound of rattling chains.  _ Prison shackles,  _ his brain supplied. 

He didn’t think, he just  _ ran.  _ In the opposite direction of where the sound was coming from. His heart pounded so loudly in his ears it drowned out everything else. He knew he was breathing too heavily, but he couldn’t get himself to calm down as he bolted, hoping to at least find a spot that was more familiar to him. And maybe a weapon. Or at least some salt. 

“Jaemin!” Donghyuck sobbed, “Jaemin, please answer me, I’m so scared.” He tripped over something lying on the floor and went flying, scraping his hands and knees painfully on the cement floor. The sting didn’t register as he shoved himself up into a sitting position, crawling backwards until his back touched the wall, flashlight clutched to his chest. He had tripped over an old drop cloth, covered in stains and dried paint and left bundled in the middle of the hall. He hadn’t seen it, his vision obscured by tears. 

Movement caught his eye and had him scrambling to turn off his flashlight, one hand flying up to cover his mouth. The taste of rust exploded on his tongue and he gagged silently, eyes wide as he took in the sight before him. At the end of the hall, his eyes could barely make out the figure of a person. Too slight to be Jaemin, and he could see the outline of long, flowing hair. The person opened a door and moonlight spilled into the hall, illuminating its figure.  _ Her  _ figure. She was wearing pale pink scrubs, though they were covered in questionable brown stains. 

Donghyuck’s breath caught in his throat when he realized she was dragging someone by the arm into the room. But not just anyone. It was  _ Jaemin. _

The door slammed behind her, and Donghyuck flinched, scrambling to his feet. He was so scared, he was so fucking scared and if they got out of this alive, he would kill Jaemin. But he couldn’t let her do it first. Jaemin was his best friend, his emotional support, the only one who stuck by him when he left Disney in search of better treatment and better roles. The one who made him laugh and was there when he cried. The one Donghyuck was in love with, and might never get the chance to confess to. 

He didn’t have a choice.

Donghyuck crept down the hall, so slowly his muscles trembled, though that might have just been the fear. His plan was to spring into the room and bring the heavy flashlight down on the woman’s head, then grab Jaemin and get the hell out of there. It was stupid, but he didn’t have another choice. 

He froze when another thought occurred to him. What if Jaemin was dead? What if he was risking his life to save him only to find out that he was gone? Then they both would die, in an abandoned building, and there was no telling if someone would find their bodies. 

He shook his head to clear his doubts. He couldn’t hesitate. There was a chance that Jaemin was alive, and Donghyuck  _ had  _ to save him. He grabbed the door handle with one hand, and raised the flashlight in the other, silently counting to three. 

_ One… _

_ Two… _

_ Three! _

__ He burst through the door with a sharp cry, flashlight poised and ready to strike, only to falter when he realized the room was empty. It was some sort of infirmary, a few discarded cabinets and a counter left behind. There was a ratty, shredded curtain in the corner, and half-hidden behind that was a cot. And lying atop of that cot was his best friend, unmoving.

“No,” Donghyuck whispered, choked up, stumbling over to the cot. Jaemin’s eyes were closed, and it didn’t look like he was breathing. “Jaemin, no.”

The cabinet burst open, and Donghyuck shrieked as the woman appeared, bloody knife in hand. He cowered away, knees giving out from under him as he gave up, gave in. There was nothing else he could do. Jaemin was gone, and he was next.

Except…nothing happened. When he opened his eyes, the woman just stood there. And she was…laughing? Donghyuck whipped his head around and Jaemin was sitting up in the cot, mouth open in silent laughter.

_ What? _

__ “What?” Donghyuck said aloud. The woman ripped off her surgical mask, then her wig, and Donghyuck realized she wasn’t a woman at all, but Mark in a costume. And Jaemin wasn’t dead. He was alive. And laughing. 

At Donghyuck.

“Man, we got you so good!” Jaemin wheezed in between hysterical bouts of laughter. “I can’t believe you fell for it!” He clutched at his sides, nearly keeling over as he giggled. Tears welled up in Donghyuck’s eyes and he leapt to his feet. Trembling with rage, he brought his hand up and slapped Jaemin in the face.

“Jaemin Na,” Donghyuck snarled. “You are, without a doubt, the  _ worst  _ asshole I have ever fucking met.” He roughly wiped at his damp cheeks and grabbed the keys, which must have fallen out of Jaemin’s pocket, from the cot. He shoved past Mark roughly, who stared after him in shock, and stormed out of the room, leaving Jaemin behind, who clutched at his swollen cheek in surprise. 

“I think you’re bleeding,” Mark said softly to Jaemin.

Jaemin touched his cheek and his fingertips came away wet with blood. But Donghyuck hadn’t slapped him hard which meant…he had gotten hurt somewhere. Looking for Jaemin.

He scrambled to his feet and ran after Donghyuck, who had already made it halfway to the closest exit. He walked  _ fast  _ when he was mad, and he was angry enough to kill a man.

“Donghyuck, wait! Come on, it was just a prank. Don’t be mad at me,” Jaemin pleaded, grabbing Donghyuck’s arm in an attempt to get him to slow down.

Donghyuck stopped in his tracks, whirling around so furiously, Jaemin flinched as if he was going to get hit again. Donghyuck couldn’t bring himself to care.

“Mad at you? Why would I be mad at you?” He let out a self-deprecating laugh, sounding slightly hysterical. “I’m mad at myself. For agreeing with your stupid plan. For coming here in the first place. For getting scared. For thinking that I was risking my life to save you. For thinking that you were fucking  _ dead  _ and I was too late, only to find out it was all a fucking  _ prank _ .” 

Donghyuck sneered when Jaemin faltered. “It—It was just a joke, Donghyuck.”

“You know what’s a joke? The fact that I thought I was in love with an immature, selfish brat like you.” Even as Donghyuck was spitting venom, he knew what he was saying hurt. But he wanted Jaemin to hurt. He wanted Jaemin to feel what he felt in that moment where he thought Jaemin was dead and that he would never get to hear his best friend’s voice again. “Grow the  _ fuck  _ up, Jaemin.”

And with that, he spun on his heel and left. He waited until he was outside until he burst into sobs, and he waited until he was a block away until he shakily called Johnny and asked his manager to pick him up and drive him home.

He had never been more grateful for Johnny until that moment, when Johnny pulled up at his location near two am, clearly having rolled out of bed, and took one look at Donghyuck before ushering him into the car. He didn’t ask Donghyuck why he was out so late, and he didn’t comment on the dried tear tracks on his face. He just drove in silence, but his presence was comforting enough that Donghyuck didn’t feel like crying so much anymore. 

He thought he couldn’t be more grateful to Johnny than in that moment, but Johnny offered to stay the night. And when he woke up in the morning, he found out that Johnny had canceled his schedule for that day, and realized he would never stop feeling grateful for what he had.

_ I’m really lucky,  _ Donghyuck thought as Johnny brought him breakfast in bed.  _ I’ll never take the people in my life for granted.  _

  
  


-

  
  


Donghyuck woke up sometime in the afternoon. Johnny had left around mid morning, and Donghyuck had fallen asleep after breakfast, still exhausted from the previous night’s events.

He blinked up at the ceiling groggily, wondering what woke him up, then registered that someone was knocking on the door. He stumbled out of bed, padding down the hall to the front door of his apartment. He yawned loudly as he pulled the door open, only to immediately slam it shut in Jaemin’s face.

“Go away,” Donghyuck said, sounding sulkier than he intended to be. He just couldn’t get the usual heat behind his tone.

“I’m sorry!” Jaemin shouted through the door. “You don’t have to forgive me, but I had to tell you. I’m so, so sorry. I should have never done that.”

“You shouldn’t have,” Donghyuck replied. He didn’t yell, but it seemed like Jaemin heard him anyway. He slumped against the door, too tired to be angry, then took a deep breath, straightened up, and opened the door.

Jaemin looked, well,  _ awful.  _ His hair was a mess, his eyes were bloodshot, and he had dark circles that looked like bruises. A part of Donghyuck felt vindicated that Jaemin looked as shitty as he felt, but a smaller part of him, the part that was still in love with Jaemin, was concerned enough to let him inside. That, and he didn’t want Jaemin making a scene in the hallway of his apartment.

“I’m sorry,” Jaemin said immediately as the door clicked shut behind him. “I’m so sorry Donghyuck, I wasn’t thinking. I didn’t think you’d be that scared.”

“Of course I was scared,” Donghyuck said, exhaustion bleeding into his tone. He clenched his hands and his fingernails dig into scrapes from last night. “I thought you were dead.”

“I’m sorry,” Jaemin repeated. “I wanted to give you space, but I just needed to tell you right away. I realized what I did wrong after you slapped some sense into me, but I didn’t want to admit that I had intentionally hurt you, even if it wasn’t really my intention.” 

“And even though it wasn’t real…thank you for coming to save me,” Jaemin finished quietly. When Donghyuck did nothing but stare, he turned to let himself out of the apartment. Suddenly, it was as if someone cut the string of anger and tension pulling on Donghyuck’s body and he sagged forward, feeling drained but no longer angry.

“Jaemin, wait.” His best friend looked to him with hope in his eyes, and Donghyuck sighed. He could never deny Jaemin, even when he fucked up. “I accept your apology. I won’t say it’s okay, ‘cause it’s not, and I won’t say I forgive you, because I don’t. Yet,” he added when Jaemin’s hope faded. “But I appreciate you coming to apologize. And…do you maybe want to…stay for lunch?”

The relieved smile that bloomed on Jaemin’s face was more beautiful than any flower. “I’d love to, Hyuck.” 

They sat on the couch, a little bit further than they usually do, and Donghyuck pulled out his phone to scroll through the UberEats app. As he browsed the menus, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

“Wait, shouldn’t you be at filming right now?”

Jaemin shook his head. “Schedules were canceled for today. The directors had to go out of town and Mark got really sick last night, so Doyoung wasn’t available to step up to the plate. So everything got postponed.”

“Good,” Donghyuck grumbled. “That’s his karma for tormenting me last night.”

Jaemin opened his mouth, seeming hesitant to speak. Donghyuck watched as he struggled internally before finally, he began with, “about last night…”

“What is it?” Donghyuck asked irritably, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“You called me an immature, selfish brat.”

“Sorry,” Donghyuck said immediately, face flushing red. “I didn’t mean it.”

“It’s fine,” Jaemin said, waving his hand dismissively. “I know I am. I’ll work on it. What I want to know is…if you mean the other thing you said.”

“What other thing?” Donghyuck asked, trying to think back. He didn’t really remember much besides how angry he was. 

“You told me you were in love with me,” Jaemin blurted out. He said it quietly, but it still hit Donghyuck like a punch to the gut, and he nearly ran out of the apartment, but it was  _ his  _ apartment, and he was too tired to leave.

“Um,” Donghyuck said eloquently, desperately searching around the room for something to change the topic. 

“Did you mean it, Donghyuck?” Jaemin grabbed his hands and leaned into his personal space, the way he always did. But this time, it felt different. This time, there was heat behind his gaze. Intent.

Donghyuck heaved a great sigh. He was caught. There was no point in hiding it. “I meant every word of that sentence. You  _ are  _ a selfish, immature brat. Unfortunately, I love you anyway.”

“Well fortunately, I love you too.” Jaemin’s smile was so, so bright. “I’ve loved you ever since you broke the prop wand for that Wizards of Waverly Place spin-off and pinned the blame on me.”

“Shut up,” Donghyuck said, face heating up in flames. 

“Make me,” Jaemin replied with a smirk, and god, Donghyuck had been waiting  _ so long  _ to be able to do this. He grabbed Jaemin by the collar, gave him a second to pull away, and brought their lips together when the other didn’t move. 

Kissing Jaemin was somehow everything he dreamed of, but nothing like he expected. Jaemin’s lips were soft against his, and his hands were gently when they came up to cup Donghyuck’s face. Donghyuck slung his arms around Jaemin’s waist and hauled him in closer, falling back against the couch until their bodies were pressed together. 

“Hold on,” Donghyuck gasped, breaking away from the kiss. He glared at Jaemin with an accusatory expression. “Are you trying to make me forget I’m still mad at you by kissing me?”

“That depends,” Jaemin said, leaning in. “Is it working?”

“I don’t know,” Donghyuck said. “Kiss me again and we’ll see.”

Smiling, Jaemin obliged him, kissing him until he was breathless. It seemed like neither of them could say no to their best friend.

  
  
  


-

  
  
  


“You know,” Donghyuck said casually a few hours later. He had Jaemin seated in his lap, and they had spent most of the afternoon making out. “Now that I think about it…Mark looked  _ real  _ good in that wig last night.”

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comments are much appreciated!! they are what motivates me these days
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/jaemarkism)  
>  [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/jaemarked)


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